God Speaks in the Winds of a Hurricane.
This short article by Ingrid Schlueter was
written three weeks ago, but its insights are well worth reading now.
See also
Charts: Total transformation
Katrina: Not God's Wrath--or
His Will (Tony
Campolo): "...there are Christians
who, in the weeks to come, can be counted on to thunder from their pulpits
that Katrina is God’s wrath against the immorality of this nation, pointing
out that New Orleans is the epitome of our national degradation and
debauchery. To all of this I say, 'Wrong.'... The God revealed in Jesus
did not come into the world 'to condemn the world, but that the world
through Him might be saved.' (John 3:17)...
"Perhaps we would
do well to listen to the likes of Rabbi Harold Kushner, who contends
that God is not really as powerful as we have claimed. Nowhere
in the Hebrew Scriptures does it say that God is omnipotent."
Selective Bible reading has become typical of today's "positive"
thinkers and church growth leaders. Everyone likes John 3:17, but few
quote the rest of that passage. Ponder the next four verses:
"He who believes
in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already,
because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into
the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their
deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and
does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he
who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly
seen, that they have been done in God.”
John 3:18-21
As for God's almighty power, see
El Shaddai, the Lord
God Almighty
Bush's rhetoric about race is
troubling: "How can
racial discrimination be the operative holding blacks down in a city in
which at least seven out of 10 residents are black? ...The chief of police
in New Orleans is black, as is the head of the city council. The mayor is
black, as is the man who has represented New Orleans in the U.S. House for
the last 16 years.....
"The truth about black poverty today... is that it is 'intricately intertwined
with the collapse of the nuclear family in the inner city.' ...black
families were relatively intact, headed by married couples, in the '40s
and '50s.... The collapse of the black family took off when big government
programs, particularly welfare, were launched, compliments of black and
white liberals, after the civil-rights movement.... It is not simply a moral
claim, but a well-documented empirical one, that family and education are
the keys to success in our free country."
See
The fall and rise of
human violence
Troops find grisly scenes in New Orleans:
"Troops scouring New Orleans for survivors and victims reported finding
at least 40 mutilated bodies in the Convention Center refugee center. ...many
of the dead were elderly, or showed signs of trauma. 'There's another one
in the freezer, a 7-year-old with her throat cut,' he said."
Police Begin Seizing Guns of
Civilians: "...no civilians in New Orleans will be allowed to
carry pistols, shotguns, or other firearms of any kind. 'Only law enforcement
are allowed to have weapons,' he said."
Green hotheads exploit hurricane
tragedy: “The green
group Friends of the Earth linked Katrina to global warming, as did Germany’s
Green Party Environment Minister. ...
"...the Tropical Meteorological Project at Colorado State University...
noted hurricane activity since 1995 has 'been similar' to that 'of the mid-1920s
to the mid-1960s when many more major hurricanes struck the U.S. East
Coast and Florida.' These are the people, chiefly professor of atmospheric
science William Gray, who issue the annual hurricane forecasts each May.
...In fact, according to the National Hurricane Center, the peak for
major hurricanes (levels 3, 4, and 5) came between 1930 and 1950.
"
See
Brave New Schools:
Saving the Earth
and
False & politicized science
Katrina doesn't cancel Southern
Decadence parade:
"...the annual Southern Decadence parade through the heart of the French
Quarter stops for nothing - not even Katrina. 'Hey, we've got to keep our
morale up, too,' said Jill Sandars, aka 'Jelly Sandwich'."
Depravity
Blame Amid the Tragedy:
"The actions and inactions of Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin are a national
disgrace due to their failure to implement the previously established
evacuation plans of the state and city.... Detailed written plans
were already in place to evacuate more than a million people....
"The
city's evacuation plan states: 'The city of New Orleans will utilize
all available resources to quickly and safely evacuate threatened areas.'
But even though the city has enough school and transit buses to evacuate
12,000 citizens per fleet run, the mayor did not use them. To compound
the problem, the buses were not moved to high ground and were flooded....
The federal government does not have the authority to intervene in a
state emergency without the request of a governor...."
Bush and Katrina:
"Mr. Bush is going to have to recognize the obvious initial failure
of the Department of Homeland Security in its first big post-9/11 test....
Mr. Bush will also need to guide the rebuilding choices for New Orleans
and the Mississippi delta."
See
Homeland
Security and the transformation of America
Human Nature.
Rebuilding New Orleans -- and
America (Thomas Sowell): "The physical devastation caused by
hurricane Katrina has painfully revealed
the moral devastation of our times that has led to mass looting in
New Orleans, assaults on people in shelters, the raping of girls....
"During good times or
bad, the police cannot police everybody. They can at best control a small
segment of society. The vast majority of people have to control themselves.
That is where the great moral traditions of a society come in --
those moral traditions that it is so hip
to sneer at, so cute to violate, and that our very schools undermine among
the young, telling them that they have to
evolve their own standards, rather
than following what old fuddy duddies like their parents tell them."
See
Brainwashing in America
&
Sex Ed and Global Values
Human Nature.
The good, the bad & the very
ugly: "'Adversity
introduces a man to himself'.... In the same way, difficulty on a significant
scale forces a society to take a long hard look at itself. ... Under the
category of good are those who have sacrificed, are sacrificing, and will
sacrifice, in order to reach out to their fellow man....
One of the negative aspects
of American culture is the victimization ethic embraced by many.... 'Man
blames God for most of his misfortunes but feels personally responsible
for a hole-in-one.' In times of blessing, for too many, God is the
last person on their mind. However, at the first sign of adversity He is
the first to be cursed. ...
The ugly that Katrina
has exposed is very ugly.... There seems to be no limit to the depth
of depravity to which the dark side of human nature will sink."
See
Ban truth - Reap Tyranny,
Charts: Paradigm
Shift and
Human Nature
Global Management System.
US accepts UN offer to rush
aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina:
"The United Nations announced today that the United States Government has
accepted the world body's offer of help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
A small UN Coordination team is in Washington now consulting with government
officials on how the UN can best complement the US's own emergency efforts."
See
The Revolutionary Roots of the UN
and the next link:
Regionalism.
The Founding of the Bilderberg
Group: "At their
1992 meeting, the group discussed the possibility of 'conditioning the
public to accept the idea of a U.N. army that could, by force, impose
its will on the internal affairs of any nation.'
"Dr. Joseph H. Retinger
(...a major proponent of a united Europe) along with Prince Bernhard of
the Netherlands... and Gen. Walter Bedell Smith (former U.S. Ambassador
to Moscow and director of the CIA...), joined together in 1954 to organize
this secretive policy group. Their first meeting was held at the Hotel de
Bilderberg (hence the name of the group, even though they have referred
to themselves as 'The Alliance')... Holland, from May 29-31, in 1954. ...
"Lord [Victor] Rothschild
and Laurance Rockefeller handpicked 100 of the world's elite. Their purpose
was to regionalize Europe, according to Giovanni Agnelli the head of Fiat
[in Italy], who said: 'European integration is our goal and where
the politicians have failed, we industrialists hope to succeed.'... 'Today,
Americans would be outraged if U.N. forces entered Los Angeles to restore
order. Tomorrow, they will be grateful.'"
See
Rapid Reaction Against UN
Foes
Military Service.
LA National Guard Wants Equipment
to Come Back From Iraq
(Written over
a month ago):
"When members of the Louisiana National Guard left for Iraq in October,
they took a lot equipment with them. Dozens of high water vehicles, humvees,
refuelers and generators are now abroad, and in the event of a major
natural disaster that, could be a problem. 'The National Guard needs that
equipment back home....'"
See
The
transformation of America
Regionalism.
U.S. Border Patrol Moved to
Katrina Area, Border Vulnerable:
"The Bush administration ordered the U.S. Customs and Border Protection
(CBP), the federal agency charged with securing the border, to provide manpower,
assets, and humanitarian support to Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts,
which has some border state residents nervous that the thin red line of
protection from the plague of illegals, drug smugglers and gang members
will be stretched even thinner."
Rice says all hurricane aid
offers from other countries will be accepted:
"...the United States is now on the receiving end of help from around the
world as some two dozen countries offer post-hurricane assistance. Venezuela,
a target of frequent criticism by the Bush administration, offered humanitarian
aid and fuel.... Offers have been received from Russia, Japan, Canada, France,
Honduras, Germany, Venezuela, Jamaica, Australia, the United Hungary, Colombia,
the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, China....
"Bush
told ABC-TV: 'I'm not expecting much from foreign nations because we hadn't
asked for it. I do expect a lot of sympathy and perhaps some will send cash
dollars. But this country's going to rise up and take care of it...."
Signs of the times.
Is God Removing His Hand Of
Protection From America?
"The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 should have been a wake up
call for America. They weren't. We have continued our sinful ways as a people
and as a government. Washington, D.C., is intoxicated with power, the American
people are intoxicated with pleasure, and churches and pastors are intoxicated
with prosperity. What is worse, virtually no one is calling America to repentance.
As a result, America has sown to the wind and is now beginning to reap the
whirlwind! Look no further than New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast
to see an example of what a whirlwind can do. I, too, tremble for my country!"
See
America's Spiritual
Slide
Culture
&
Human Nature.
Hurricane hits just before homosexual
event: "Katrina
walloped New Orleans just two days before the annual homosexual 'Southern
Decadence' festival was to begin in the town, an act being characterized
by some as God's work. ... This year's 34th annual Southern Decadence festival,
which drew 125,000 revelers last year, was set to begin today in the Big
Easy and run through Monday.
"As
writer John d'Addario explained in 'Southern Decadence 2005: A How-To Guide'
posted on FrenchQuarter.com: Parades and non-stop parties aside, Southern
Decadence may be most famous (or infamous) for the displays of naked flesh
which characterize the event."
See
Human Nature
Spirituality.
French Quarter battered but
unbowed: "Gail Henke
could think of no better way to celebrate the French Quarter's survival
of Hurricane Katrina than to belly up to a bar on Bourbon Street with a
vodka and cranberry juice. Call it a libation to the storm gods. 'You know
what? There's a reason why we're called the Saints,' the 53-year-old tour
booker said Monday as she communed with 20 or so other survivors. 'Because
no matter what religion you are, whether you're a Catholic, whether you're
voodoo, whether you're Baptist or so on, so on, and so on - we all pray.
We all pray." See
The Rising World Religion
